Linda
We first became aware that Mitch Kaldrovitch is a very talented chef while he worked at the Sea Glass restaurant at Scarborough’s Inn By The Sea. That is where we’ve enjoyed an elegant dinner, a wine dinner, a benefit dinner and even a garden table dinner where we ate outside at a table for two overlooking the ocean, getting the details for each course from Chef Kaldrovitch.
Mitch’s dream to have his own restaurant came true in April. He and his wife, Lisa, who used to work at Fore Street in Portland, opened MK Kitchen in Gorham, Lisa’s hometown. It sounds like this has been a labor of love for them, redesigning the space, painting and doing a lot of the work themselves. The restaurant has an inviting, warm atmosphere with two distinct spaces. One has the bar with a community table and the other is an open dining room with brick walls and copper-topped tables. A tin punched ceiling and beautiful modern lighting fixtures add to the comfortable ambiance.
Friends Sue and Rusty Atwood live in Gorham and joined us for a wonderful dinner there recently. I’d read about several dishes I wanted to try, so I was very happy when Sue pointed out that the pasta and grain-based dishes come in two sizes. Brilliant. As Lisa said, “The small plates make it so you can order a bunch of dishes and not feel overstuffed.”
A version of a seasonal tart is always on the menu here, and the mushroom tart ($11) was a great starter. Two types of cheese, feta and goat, enhanced the mushroom and onion topping. I loved the arugula pistou and greens on the side. A taste of Sue’s braised beets ($9) reminded me that Mitch really knows how to treat fresh vegetables and let them be the star of the dish.
I adore creamy polenta, so as soon as I saw Polenta Bolognese on the menu I knew what I was ordering. The Bolognese is a wonderful combination of beef and pork sausage, and let me just say it is heavenly. Smoked bacon bits and the taste of parmesan in the polenta all added depth to this dish. Mitch later told us that he wanted to serve comfort food, and I would put this dish as my top choice in that category. A small plate ($12) was the perfect portion as a dinner entree for me.
The housemade Sorbet Trio dessert ($9) was a perfect ending to an incredible meal. Pure fruit taste shines through in the banana, raspberry and blueberry sorbets. My favorite was the raspberry, while George’s was the blueberry, so even though we shared dessert, we were both happily indulged.
George
Lisa is a welcoming presence as the manager of the front of the house, while Mitch makes magic in the kitchen. He grew up in Argentina, arrived in the United States 14 years ago, and now offers creative dishes influenced by his world travels, something he calls Argentinian/Italian. Many of his recipes came from his grandmother.
Focused on local produce, he and Lisa even grow some of it themselves in their house just up the road. When Mitch came out of the kitchen to visit with us, he raved about the produce and products he was receiving from Maine farms. Mitch is particularly proud of his two assistant cooks, both of whom started their restaurant careers as dish washers. He trained them both at the Sea Glass, and they came with him to his new restaurant.
At one point, Lisa stopped by our table, and when we praised Mitch’s passion for food and creative cooking, she told us, “He’s out in the kitchen right now, singing!”
Our server, Michelle, was also happy to be working here and was very knowledgeable about the menu, telling us “Mitch makes it easy.” Well, the dishes looked complicated to me. While I struggled to narrow my choice of appetizers down to one, Michelle said a friend described the Pan Roasted Mussels ($9) as “Heaven in a bowl.” And indeed, that was a good description. They arrived in a beautiful iron bowl and were prepared with white wine, lemon zest and garlic butter and were served with grilled focaccia bread, also made by Mitch.
My entree was an easy choice, the Pork Trio ($24), giving me a chance to try three of Mitch’s pork presentations: tenderloin/polenta with cranberry sauce, braised belly with mostarda sauerkraut, and pulled shoulder with biscuit and pickles. I actually loved all three preparations. And then I tried Rusty’s Red Wine Braised Beef Short Ribs. Wow!
As you might expect when your chef is from Argentina, we selected an Argentine Malbec wine, Ruca Malen Malbec Reserva 2012 ($28), and it was superb. The dining room tables were made by Mitch and Lisa, using copper from a friend who installs copper roofs. I noticed right off that the copper tops are easy to clean, as Michelle wiped away my spills several times during dinner.
Several tables of diners were there celebrating events, but you don’t need a special celebration to enjoy a very special dinner here. It was surprisingly busy for a Wednesday night, so be sure to make a reservation.
Visit George’s website — georgesmithmaine.com — for book reviews, outdoor news and all Travelin’ Maine(rs) columns, found listed by town in the “Best of Maine” section.
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